Thursday, May 07, 2009

Time to retire

I am hoping having been led to all the first set of aims that I will now reach the next level up, the big time. If someone's had a long ordeal and decided they now want a quiet life they no longer look for excitement and variety but are happy where they are. Peace is valued above all and I have reached that stage. I've visited 10 countries (Ireland to come I hope), seen 74 football matches (still do a few locally), seen huge names at the theatre, a few concerts, etc etc. Now I am happy with a quiet life in NW London with as little stress as possible and decent people around me. Rather than actual work I'll pursue a freelance media career now, unpaid unless offered and mainly from home wherever possible. Four afternoons filming TV programmes here started it off, now all been on, and hope for many more. Articles written are now being distributed to anywhere suitable rather than obscure professional journals. I'm doing what I can.

Why people should retire when they're past it has always been pointless to me, like offering someone sex when it's worn out. Better you should retire around 50 and if you want to do part time work later on it's up to you. The creative power of doing things for pleasure is far greater than doing what you have to with little left over for anything else. I was forced into a life of leisure as described already, and suited me fine. It's only that no one else (besides a few crazies) are available during the day, and the normals are all with their nuclear families (radioactive?) while not working, treating the singles after 30 as if they have AIDS. There's no village life in Europe's biggest conurbation, just roads and buildings for 30 miles in every direction. Plenty of opportunities to find old signs and little else. I am better off using the dead time working for enlightenment as each new teacher explains it in the same way and really if you work at it enough something should happen, even a little change. Then the rest really doesn't matter so much. If I become rich enough I'd have a little commune at home where any hippies could drop in and reexperience the 60s away from one of the hardest and toughest societies since ancient Rome.

I've seen it decline since about 1975, from the end of the hippy era to the start of Thatcherism, and then the even worse New Labour, not even honest enough to admit they simply change policies to stay in power. But there are only two rulers now, the EU and global warming. Between them they hold the reins like Stalin across the western world, lying to masses who accept every word they say, with the intelligentsia and independents condemned like under the cultural revolution and encouraged to burn their books, at least metaphorically. Because of the internet they can't hide the truth however and when Pen Hadow confirms the Arctic ice survived the last warm period (really warm) the latest garbage about sea level rises will vanish into the hole it crawled from. How the public swallow this diet of filth for this long, with all the clear lies exposed, beats and depresses me totally. I can't exactly hide my IQ as I had it tested, but surely the bloody obvious can't be perceptible only to Mensans? Or am I wrong?

I've spread the truth online for 8 years now and can do no more without repeating myself unless new data arrives, which it does constantly as more figures are measured by the honest. 0.036% of the atmosphere is CO2, we create 3% of it. As the Yanks say, you do the math.

I'm rarely around elsewhere online besides my photos at the moment as Streetviewing every road in London in case I find more old signs. It can't be done casually as they are being removed steadily. It is relaxing and interesting and free so better than driving the streets as I did before. My sign trips have extended from Aldershot to Hertford to Crystal Palace and Brockley, and if places outside London and Surrey had more I'd carry on. But I've got plenty of direction signs and a fair selection of others but any more will be nice. But it won't last a lot longer and a new project needs to turn up somehow. None of the attempts I've made have got me a thing so far, no new signs discovered by councils or old ones saved. No media work on the system either but rarely is. I know there has to be potential but not sure how to find it. Yet.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

You could try photographing leaves growing on oak trees, or how about photographing the various materials used, like paving stones, asphalt etc to make public footpaths. I doubt if there is a public photographic record on Flickr of the various types of public footpaths and how old they are. Rather like tracking down old road signs you could track down footpaths. Gee in Kingsbury they have some that were laid down in 1927 or in High Wycombe they have some that King Henry IV walked on. You could also do a study about the Eagle comics and how they shaped boys lives. The Eagle's Dan Dare and Radio's Jet Morgan from Journey Into Space just how well did they predict the future. There is SO much that you can do. You are young and yet you read as though you are in your late 90's and at death's door. Get off your bum and do something. The local community needs you. You could do free cleaning of mobility scooters for the elderly and disabled, you could do reading to the vision impaired, or how about offering to help for free the local police by becoming a Special Policeman. The local aged care home could always do with some help with talking to and playing with dementia people.

I hope that you soon snap out of your 'oh woe is me I am so fed up and bored' attitude.

I remain yours sincerely
Roger Hooton, Nuriootpa, South Australia

Anonymous said...

I suppose you are still whinging and sitting around doing nothing instead of helping the elderly and disabled in the local community. This "poor me" attitude you have needs to be shaken out of you might quick. Get away from the computer for eight hours a day and do some REAL WORK, helping people in the local community. Your body is wasting away and your brain is breaking up, soon you will become demented and yet YOU are so VERY YOUNG. Come on lad I want to read some GOOD news from you and see the proof on your Flickr site of how you are re-vitalising YOUR life by being community minded. YOUR COMMUNITY NEEDS YOU - HELP THE AGED AND THE INFIRM -TODAY. posted by Roger Hooton - leading the way with Actively Engaged in Ageing.

David said...

Typical, I posted the last comment and it didn't come up.

Of course you have a point, and I did voluntary work for 6 years after starting it for college years ago, and then have been helping my grandma and mother since they've both been widowed (not my father though, he's still with us).
The bottom line is not so much my lack of activities but being forced to live alone most of the time for 16 years when all I wanted to do was live in a family. However many activities you do it's never the same coming back to an empty house. You just notice it a lot less when you are busy but it's always there waiting.